Last Lullaby
by A Sound Nin
Summary: [ItaAsu, Itachi x Asuka] A princess with nothing but her life to lose, and a mysterious killer with a shady past. While everyone is against the two criminals, how will the uncaring man and emotional girl help each other survive? A Fairytale. R
1. Tourniquet

**.:: Last Lullaby ::.**

**Notes: **This is a fairytale I have to write for my Honors English class, it's actually pretty fun. I've gotta finish my rough draft by Tuesday though, the day after tomorrow -.-;; So far I'm at around 8 pages typed with the spaces between each row (It's my rough draft after all). It's going to be ItaAsu, of course, with Asuka playing the princess. I'm pretty happy about how it's turning out, and I decided to post it on here, since it does involve Itachi (Later chapters. This is only the first!). Yeah though, once he gets in here, Itachi is gonna have a major role in how this all goes. Also, this chapter might be a little dull, since I'm cutting it off before the slaughter, so I'll probably have two chapters up tonight! (I actually just added the song thingys for the fanfic -.-;; )

**Listened To While Writing:**

"_Tonight and the Rest of my Life" - Nina Gordon_

"_Things I'll Never Say" - Avril Lavigne_

"_Not Gonna Get Us" - t.A.T.u_

"_Show Me Love" - t.A.T.u_

"_Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" - Daft Punk_

"_There's a good reason these tables are numbered honey, you just haven't thought of it yet" - Panic! At the Disco (Jenova, that was a long title)_

"_Popular" - Kristen Chenoweth _

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Itachi Uchiha, even though he isn't in this chapter. I do own Asuka though. (It's not like anyone would want to make ItaAsu fanfics besides me -.-;; )

-------------------------------

**Do you remember me?**

**Lost for so long**

**Will you be on the other side**

**Or will you forget me**

**I'm dying, praying, bleeding, and screaming**

**Am I too lost to be saved**

**Am I too lost**

**My God, my tourniquet**

**Return me to salvation**

**My God, my tourniquet**

**Return me to salvation**

"_Tourniquet" - Evanescence_

-------------------------------

_ She saw her reflection in that mirror. The long blonde hair that cascaded down her __shoulders, the hazel eyes that were staring right back at her with curiosity, and the fair, __pale skin that covered her body. It was she, but the crystal was broken. Jagged pieces of clear glass scattered the floor, and touching them was like frostbite. They were frozen, __but why? Looking up quickly, Asuka saw the image of herself suddenly change. It was not __reflecting her outward appearance anymore, but her inward. Destroyed. Unstable. The __glass cracked some more, while tiny shards escaped, almost hitting the princess standing __before the wicked thing. The reflection started to scream, and she realized what was __going to happen. Asuka didn't want to look at herself any longer, she didn't want to see __what she had become. The image of the princess was crying out in pain, however it was __mute. It didn't matter if you could hear her shouts, the terrified and hurt expression on __her face said it all. She was dying, slowly and painfully. Every second felt like a million __years, and Asuka could swear she felt that pain when she watched the image. She wanted __to look away, she truly did. Something wouldn't let her though. A powerful force kept her __there, not allowing her to even look in a different direction. Asuka winced, she didn't __want to cry. This was too much though. It was indescribable what suffering her reflection __was going through. She couldn't hold it in any longer. Asuka opened her mouth and let __out a blood-chilling scream. Her eyes were wide in terror at the situation she was in. This __was insane. The tears fell like rain, making a soft noise as they hit the floor. Dropping to __her knees, Asuka put her hands to her head, clutching on with such force, it was as if she __thought she would die if she let go. Everything was shaking, and her vision was blurred __as Asuka trembled. The mirror, oh how she hated that thing. How she hated her __reflection. Then, everything stood still. Her duplicate dropped, twitching slightly, before __lying there still. Dead. Asuka couldn't breathe for a moment, the air was gone. Her hands __slid from her head to her throat, making it look like she was strangling herself. Eyes near __closed, she took one last look at the broken mirror, and what she saw made her gasp. Her __sister, Aki, stood there smirking. Aki had been dead for a year though, and there she was, __in all her undead glory. After that, everything faded out into a blur. _

"_Farewell sister…" was the last thing Asuka heard, before she herself, dropped to the __floor. _

-------------------------------

Opening her eyes promptly, she put a hand to her neck, to feel her pulse race. Asukawas in her bedroom, she must have just have just had a bad dream. Sitting still for amoment, she let everything calm down. She let her brain process what she had justimagined. Time silently moved on, only allowing the small tick of a clock, movingsecond to second. Finally having understood it was a nightmare, she squinted her eyes. Curling up into a ball, she felt her hazel orbs water up with tears. _I'm sorry Aki…_ she thought, hoping that her message would reach the deceased. After all, it was Asuka's faultthat Aki had died.

It was always her fault.

Hours seemed to pass by as the young princess sat there on her luxurious bed, curledinto a ball out of defense. Trying to protect herself from people, protect herself from theworld. Protect herself from _pain._ She was terrified, truly. Nightmares had been invadingher sleep for weeks now, and no matter what type of 'magic' or 'cure' she tried, theywouldn't go away. Most of the time they were horrid, involving someone she knewdealing with a various form of pain or torture. Once though, back when the nightmaresequence started, she had a dream where a man had come in. He had saved her, but shecouldn't see his face clearly. It was as if a heavy fog had fallen over him like a blanket.Ever since then, they had gotten more scary. He never came back though. The man hadforgotten her.

Turning her head in a slight notion, she peeked out from her guarded defense, to seethe clock on the wall to her left. _9:45..._ Asuka read. Time to get up.

Rolling out of bed unwillingly, she wiped the wet tears from her eyes in haste whileshe made her way to her vanity. The princess wasn't obsessed with how she looked, butshe _did_ want to look nice at least. After all, Asuka was Feiya royalty.

Snatching up a brush that had been laid out on the right corner, Asuka took her time inrunning it's bristles through her hair. She was still shaken up about last night, and hereyes certainly showed it. They looked deprived of sleep, and it was obvious to see thatshe had been crying due to the red coloring that had entered. _Horrible…_today was the daythat Veriban royalty was coming over to discuss some things with her mother and fathertoo.

What bloody perfect timing.

Asuka changed into a long, green silk gown before adding the finishing touches to herappearance. Another boring lunch meeting that she supposed to attend. She really didn'tdo anything though, her parents only wanted Asuka to sit and look pretty for the guests.Thinking about her supposed purpose for going made the tips of her lips inch downwardin a frowning motion. This was going to be so dull, but it's not like she had a choice onwhether she went or not. Hopefully the Veriban king and queen wouldn't be bringingtheir son, Vincent. He was just like his father. Only interested in money and power.However, going would at least be better than having another one of her dreams. That wasan upside at least.

Stepping into her jade slip-on shoes, Asuka opened the giant doors that could lead inor out of her room. Smoothing down any possible wrinkles in her dress, the gold trim onthe fabric shone in the light. In the hallway, she held her head high. Asuka wanted to beable to prove to herself and others that she made a good heir. Being a good princessmeant you had to swallow all self-doubt, insecurities, or weakness to be strong anddetermined for your people. That's what Aki had been like.

Asuka would never be able to measure up to her, even if she did achieve the throne.

-------------------------------

**Notes: **Sorry, I cut it off kinda short -.-;; I have a lot more written, but I didn't want to stuff it all into this one chapter. Anyways, I've been sick and I don't want to proof-read 'cause I'm not good at it, so if you see a tiny mistake or weird way of saying things, please excuse me -.-;; Well review if you'd like, they always make me happy No flames though, please (Although I've never gotten one).

_**3: **_


	2. Miss Murder

**.:: Last Lullaby ::.**

**Notes: **Chapter 2! The conversation between the kings sounds all rushed, because I really just wanted to get past the slaughter part so the story could get interesting. This chapter also explains a bit about Asuka and Aki. It's vague though. There was a LOT more that went on with them, and it gets really weird. Oh well, still no Itachi this chapter, but he should come up soon. Please enjoy.

**Listened To While Writing:**

"_Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" - Daft Punk_

"_Stand in the Rain" - Superchic_

"_Not Gonna Get Us" - t.A.T.u_

"_Who I Am Hates Who I've Been" - Reliant K_

"_Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off" - Panic! At the Disco_

"_In The Shadows (Radio Edit)" - The Rasmus_

"_30 Minutes" - t.A.T.u_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Itachi Uchiha, even though he's not in this chapter. If I did, ItaSaku (Hate that crack) would be killed and ItaAsu would be canon. But I don't. Asuka is mine though.

-------------------------------

**Dreams of his crash won't pass**

**Oh how they all adored him**

**Beauty will last when spiraled down**

**The stars that mystify**

**He left them all behind**

**And how his children cried**

**He left us all behind**

**Hey Miss Murder can I?**

**Hey Miss Murder can I?**

**Make beauty stay if I**

**Take my life**

"_Miss Murder" - AFI_

-------------------------------

Ever since she was little, Aki had been better. She hid her unnecessary emotions, was highly intelligent, and good with people. To sum it all up, Aki had been _perfect. _Asuka was the little girl who no one suspected had a chance at the throne. She was often playing in the village, smiling and speaking out of turn, and went after whatever she wanted. No matter how impossible. The drift between her and her sister, however, had always been vast. They tried to meet halfway, but their efforts were in vain. Everything, but blood,about the two was a difference. Then, that's when it happened. Asuka couldn't save Aki,she tried. Oh how she tried. She didn't want Aki to disappear forever. She didn't want her sister to leave her. Asuka cried a million tears that week, as did the rest of the Feiya country. A black cloud came over them for that time period, a large and dark depression. The royal family kept it a secret, so no one else knew, that Asuka was the one who failed to save Feiya's promising heir. Ever since, Asuka had been haunted by that memory. That _horrible_, _wretched_ memory.

"_Aki!" cried a shrill voice, "Aki please! Just hold on! Don't leave, oh god, please __don't leave!" she screamed, tone being wavered by her uncontrollable crying. Blood __spilled everywhere, covering the ground in crimson. Asuka knew she couldn't do __anything. It was too late. Much too late…_

The click of her shoe soles could be heard against the stone floor as she walked, in asea of quiet, this small, insignificant noise could be heard. The princess kept her gaze straight in front of her, nodding to some of the castle workers that passed on by. Keeping a perfect posture, Asuka passed many doors, before approaching two enormous ones that were tightly shut. Taking a deep breath, the young Feiya heir gathered her courage and pulled on the cold brass door handles. This was it.

Everyone in the room turned to look at the young woman who had just entered. Her face turned bright scarlet at the attention, realizing that she must have been late.

"I'm sorry." She apologized, bowing to the high-ranked royalty in the room before shutting the doors behind her and taking her seat at the table. How could she have been so careless? Asuka had just deeply embarrassed her family, she knew they were disappointed in her.

Clearing his throat, the king of Feiya rose from his seat. "Now that our daughter, Asuka, has arrived, I believe we can begin." He announced to the group of people that shared the table.

"I have something I would like to bring up," the king of Veriban said in a majestic voice, "I remember that just a few weeks ago, you sent some of your troops to our country."

"It was an assassination mission, we had heard that he ran into Veriban, so I decided to send them out. It was dire and necessary, due to how many civilians the culprit slaughtered here." Asuka's father added, speaking in a logic tone, trying his best to keep all conversation civil.

"That may be the case, but there was no murder in our peaceful home, so clearly the criminal had no business to do there, or he may have just passed on through," The man said, his voice hinting at anger, indicating there was something bad to this tale, "Our heir, Vincent, was killed in this mission of yours. He was out with the commoners, trying to connect with them, and he was mistaken for the man you were after. They killed Vincent on the spot." the Veriban king told them, rage slowly entering his expression.

The young princess's eyes widened. She hadn't been told about it. Sure she had been informed that someone of great importance had been slaughtered in Veriban yes, but she didn't even _imagine_ that it could have been Vincent.

Asuka's elder father cleared his throat once more before he spoke, "I am highly sorry for your loss and grief. It must have been a mistake of identity. For that we have sent all the men in the troop that had been sent out to be killed or thrown in the dungeon." he told his equal, a solemn and sympathetic face on his skin.

"That doesn't amount to destroying our only heir and son!" the Veriban king suddenly exclaimed, raising his voice angrily.

"I'm deeply apologetic, is there anyway us and the people of Feiya can make it up to you? We do not wish to start a war."

"Blood for blood." he said simply, now looking to Asuka, "My boy is gone, your girl is gone." a smirk crossed his lips, making him look much more like a psychopath then a

king. His wife, queen of Veriban, stayed silent, just like Asuka's own mother and herself.

"Certainly not! There must be something else you could suggest…?" The Feiya king objected in haste.

"Your life then. Your wife will remarry and rule, and little Asuka can still live. What do you say about that?"

"I will a-"

"No!"

All heads turned to look at the sudden outburst from Asuka, just as her father was about to agree with the Veriban king's suggestion.

"You can't die! No one else will lead Feiya as well as you do father! There has to be another way! We've already lost Aki, isn't that enough?!" She cried out, silence hanging in the air at the mention of Aki. Asuka knew she was speaking out of turn. She knew she was being disruptive and shameful. She wouldn't let this go though!

"Remember to hold your tongue young princess," the Veriban king sneered at her, "It is _most_ unladylike."

_Slam!_

"Do not speak to my daughter that way!" her father roared, rising from his seat once more, his hand having banged upon the wooden table, "I think it would be much better if we had this meeting later, once everyone has settled." he said in a much calmer voice, however forced.

The Veriban king frowned, "I disagree dear king, but I guess I might as well take what I came for before me and my wife take our leave." he said in a much too serene voice.

He stood, and now facing the king, drew out a sharp knife from under his cloak. All in a swift motion, almost a blur, the Veriban king rose the knife, moved to the side, and stuck it right in Feiya's leader's heart. Asuka's father staggered there for a minute, face pale and eyes unbelieving. A gasp escaped from the queen of Feiya, as she broke into sobs, choking out her husband's name every few seconds. Asuka jumped out of her chair, running to her father's side, as she ran though, the queen of Veriban grabbed her arm.

"You're next you know…" she spoke in a smooth and sinister voice, grinning at Asuka's horror in triumph.

She pulled away from the queen's grasp, and casting one last look at her father and mother, Asuka ran. Her legs moved as quick as they could within the barriers of her dress. Asuka knew that they wouldn't harm her mother, no, her birthplace was in Veriban. She had married Asuka's father when he had taken a trip there, so they wouldn't dare harm one of their previous people.

That, however, didn't count for Asuka. She was full blood Feiya.

-------------------------------

**Notes:** Omigod, I had NO idea how kings were supposed to sound. It was horrible and rushed, so please excuse that and any grammar or sentence errors you find -.-;; That's all I actually have for the story so far, so I'm going to have to finish the whole freaking fairytale tomarrow. Ugh, it's gonna take forever, because this isn't even at the part where Itachi comes in. At least this chapter turned out longer than the last one, I'm happy about that. So, if I'm lucky, the story will be completed tomorrow, with a LOT of chapters -.-;; Now I realize I should have given the kings and queens names instead of having to keep calling them 'Feiya King' 'Veriban King', ect. -.-;; I'll probably give them names later on.

**3:**


	3. Not Gonna Get Us

**.:: Last Lullaby ::.**

**Notes: **Alright, the story won't be finished today because I was slacking and got sicker so I needed to get off the computer, and then I had a serious case of writers block. It was horrible. I SHOULD be able to get at least one chapter up per day or so, but I really do need to finish the story soon. It's already late enough -.-;; Itachi has arrived though! Hurrah!

**Comment Reply: **

Anon #1 - i like it alot so far! and is the essay for your final exam? i asked that cause thats what my teacher is doing only we had to do soem boring essay on ireland and the war going on over there...

Reply - Thanks Well sort of, it is an important grade, and I need to get good marks for it. I'm such a slacker when it comes to homework -.-;; A war is going on in Ireland? First I heard about it, guess that shows how behind in the times I am -.-;;

Anon #2 - i love your story do you think chapter 3 will be up soon?

Reply - Thanks! Here's chapter 3 right now, I hope you still like it!

_Thank you for the comments, I was so happy when I got them, I probably re-read them about ten times!_

**Listened To While Writing: **

"_Tonight and the rest of my life" - Nina Gordon_

"_Things I'll Never Say" - Avril Lavigne_

"_Me Against The World" - Superchic_

"_Follow (Radio Edit)" - Breaking Benjamin_

"_Warriors" - Ronan Hardiman (LOVE this song. Got me out of my writers block )_

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Itachi Uchiha, yes, it's the sad truth. However I do own Asuka, so everything's alright.

-------------------------------

**They are not gonna get us **

**Not gonna get us**

**Starting from here, let's make a promise**

**You and me, let's just be honest**

**We are gonna run, nothing can stop us**

**Even the night, that falls all around us**

**Soon there'll be, laughter and voices**

**And clouds over the mountains**

**We'll run away on roads that are empty**

**Lights from the airfield shining above you**

"_Not Gonna Get Us" - t.A.T.u_

-------------------------------

She was running with all she could. The wind brushed through her long, golden locks that flew behind her quickly-moving body, waving like a flag on a pole. It wasn't safe here anymore. Asuka assumed that Veriban wanted some sort of control over Feiya, and although she wanted to help, her instinct told her it would be better to hide. For now at least. Her mother was strong, she'd be able to rule with a firm hand, things should be all right until Asuka got back, when things cooled down. Asuka didn't want to run. She wanted to stay and fight this conspiracy, but she couldn't. She couldn't even save her own sister. In this condition, she was no where near ready to fight. Where could she go though? All of Feiya knew her face, and Veriban was on the look-out for her most likely. Those two places were out of the question.

Asuka's breath came out in heavy chunks. She hadn't run like this in a while, but she might as well get used to it. She would probably be on the run for a while. Spotting the front doors of the castle right in front of her, it just occurred to Asuka how fast she had been running. Surely the little feud that had occurred back there wouldn't stay secret too long. If anything, the Veriban king would accuse _her_ of killing her father, and then running off. _That dirty---_ she started to think out of spite. He was destroying the family that had already been hurt enough. He was making her flee from her home with no looking back.

_He was slowly killing her inside_.

Asuka pulled the doors open with such force that they hit the walls behind them, and closed after she ran out the doorway. Things seemed to swirl and blend as she glided through the air all around her like a knife to butter. Her eyes narrowed together, not wanting to make eye contact with any of the people surrounding her. Some tried to talk to her, ask what's wrong, but their efforts were useless. Nothing was going to stop her. The young Feiya royalty didn't want to be in this place. She didn't want to think about her father's murder that she had just witnessed. Asuka didn't want to be blamed as the culprit.

The whispers were everywhere.

_What's wrong with the princess?_

_Maybe she finally reached the edge. She's always been different since our beloved Aki died. _

_Always knew there was something wrong with the girl…a mental problem maybe?_

The youthful woman wanted to cover her ears. She didn't want to listen. People were saying all these horrible things like she wasn't even there. They didn't understand. She had to get away. They weren't in her position. How should they know?!

Ugh, her head hurt so much. It could have been the stress, or the gossip, maybe the gruesome crime she had witness. The most likely diagnosis was a combination of all of

the possibilities.

Her mind was so confused, the image of her father staggering there limply, his eyes open so large, and his face that awful shade of snow white pale. The blood. The horrible crimson blood that poured out of his wound. It was like a nightmare. One of her dreams come true. She didn't want to believe it. She didn't.

She had to though. Otherwise, Asuka would never survive out here.

Asuka wanted to cry. She wanted to scream, and kick, and whine, and be sad while someone held her close, trying to comfort the poor thing. Such daydreams wouldn't become real though. The Feiya girl was now facing the world on her own, living for herself. She was no longer royalty. Once she was out of Feiya, she would be just like everybody else. Someone normal, with no supposed secrets.

How was she going to get back then? Asuka would need to come back, for her country. Maybe--

"Hold it little girl!"

Asuka froze, her insides shook, and she was afraid to look behind her. So she just kept running. Leaving everything behind her, blocking it all out. The gruff-sounding man kept yelling, gathering people to join him, as he shouted the supposed claim against her. They were against her now! Her own people! The tale hadn't even been that long. The soldier only had to shout a few words, and they had crossed to his side. Ready to attack her with pitchforks and sledge-hammers. She couldn't just keep running, Asuka needed to escape from this growing crowd.

Eyeing the border edge to her left, Asuka turned. This way would lead her to Nimar. Not a very popular country, but it would have to due. That could even be an advantage to her sometime later on. Thank whoever had built the Feiya castle that it was so close to the border.

Very lucky indeed.

Her legs were starting to ache. How long had she been running? The mob behind her was still filled with energy. She groaned lightly to herself, _It's only a little ways __more…_she told herself over and over again.

_Ah! I did it!_

Asuka thought, feeling pride in her determination. Now where to go though? She had crossed the border, but it didn't appear to stop the solider and his group. Scanning her surroundings for a safe place, a small little house off to the side caught her eye. It blended in, it was easy to miss. The strangest thing though was how isolated it was. The nearest other house was in the opposite direction. It was her only hope though.

Using the last of her energy she directed her speed towards the small shack of a home. Upon approaching the door, mob hot on her tail, she pounded with her fists on the wood.

Hard.

"Let me in! Please! Just open the door, oh god, please just let me in!" She screeched at the thing blocking her entrance. If someone was home they would hear her. "I'm begging you! Please! This isn't a game or a trick, I need help!" She screamed, Asuka's feminine voice starting to crack. Looking behind her briefly, the crowd was getting too close for comfort. Not good.

_Creak…._

The Feiya woman sharply turned her head back to facing the door as it slowly opened. She couldn't see who was opening the door, it was filled with darkness inside.

"May I help you, or if it is something of little importance I would be happy if you took your leave and left."

It was a man. He spoke at his own pace, and his voice was deep, but not too much so. The tone was so smooth, but it felt cold. Leaving a shiver down your spine. However, the dim warmth shown through in the melody that he spoke.

Tch, all this from just hearing the voice of a guy she had never even seen the face of. Maybe she truly was an idiot. Maybe she was just trying to be optimistic. Either way, it didn't matter in the end.

"Please, please let me come in! I'm in quite a bit of trouble and I would really appreciate some place to rest while the whole mess I've started calms down." Asuka replied very quickly, using one breath, making it come out jumbled together and incomprehensible. She bowed down to the man, "Please…" Asuka managed to utter out of her light-colored lips.

"I'm sor-" he started to tell her, before looking out the door once. She saw his eye, it was a color of red. Crimson blood. Standing out in the darkness, the princess couldn't help, but stare at it. After all, he was staring at the mob, she should be allowed to gaze at his eye. It was all fair, right?

"Get in." He replied shortly, a stiff and forcing tone indicating he was in a hurry.

Asuka slowly got up, having been awakened to reality, "I said get in." the mysterious boy told her once more, before the words really sunk into her brain. She gained her balanced and slid through the sliver of space the door let open, before he shut it completely. The maiden turned her head to thank the man, but she couldn't find her words as he stepped into the light before her.

Breathtaking.

-------------------------------

**Notes:** Hope that turned out okay. Like I said, I had a major writers-block. Today though I started listening to "Warriors" by Ronan Hardiman and it got me out of my phunk, it's an AMAZING song. I love comments, so if you want to, just post one


	4. Follow

**.:: Last Lullaby ::.**

**Notes: **Itachi is in! He's a little OOC, and I call him Sune in here, cause, well, I like that name. Deidara is Hiroki. I wasn't sure if I should put in Deidara or Kisame, but I thought it would be fun to have the un-unhappy Deidara. I made him a little OOC too, kinda overly happy. I hope you all like the new chapter, the story might get a little rushed, cause I really need to finish it -.-;; I even made Itachi act out of kindness. THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN IN ITACHI AND ASUKA'S REAL RELATIONSHIP! This is driving me crazy! I keep getting told to get it finished and not make it so long, so I had to do it. SORRY! That isn't the way ItaAsu really is, so please don't judge it like he treats her as a princess T-T

**Listened To While Writing:**

"_Warriors" - Ronan Hardiman _

"_Me Against the World" - Superchic(k)_

"_Pretty Girl (The Way)" - Sugarcult_

"_Not Gonna Get Us" - t.A.T.u_

"_Stand In the Rain" - Superchic(k)_

"_You're The One" - Sugarcult_

"_Bouncing Off The Walls" - Sugarcult_

"_Hate Every Beautiful Day" - Sugarcult_

"_I'm So Sick" - Flyleaf_

"_Worked Up So Sexual" - The Faint_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. If I did, Gai would be spreading the lesson of youth to many people, but no. I do have Asuka though.

-------------------------------

**I'll follow you, you follow me**

**I don't know why you lie so clean**

**I'll break right through the irony**

**Enlighten me**

**Reveal my face**

**Just cut these strings**

**That hold me safe**

**You know my heart**

**You know my gaze**

**You'd know my heart**

**If you knew your place**

**I'll walk straight down**

**As far as I can go**

"_Follow" - Breaking Benjamin_

-------------------------------

His silky hair shone in the dim light that flickered from the small wax candle. His skin was light, it contrasted against the dark of the room. Peering closer at his face, she could see lines right below his captivating red eyes that remained calculating, like he was hiding something always.

As if you couldn't trust him.

What were those lines though? Scars? Probably that he had just been born with them, or something around that conclusion, since he appeared to not be too much older than herself. Maybe four or five years elder, give or take.

"Who are you?" Asuka became embarrassed quite quickly, seeing how she was leaning towards him without even noticing it. She stood up right once more, feeling a bead of sweat glide down her smooth neck.

"Oh, well, my name is…" Could she tell him her real name? Would it be safe? Better to take precautions, "Ren. My name is Ren." Asuka lied, hoping her bluff wouldn't shine through. He was so hard to read though, she wouldn't be able to tell if he knew or not. Asuka had never been particularly good at lying to people.

"I see." He replied shortly, looking at her with an intense look. _He's so intimidating! _the Feiya girl thought, feeling nervous in his presence. Actually, she was surprised he hadn't asked her about why she had come pounding on his door with an angry mob in tow.

"Why are you here?"

So much for not asking.

"It's a long story, I'm sure you don't want to know…"

"I asked, so I believe I would like to know."

"Ah, well…" Asuka certainly couldn't tell this man the truth about this. He'd turn her in! Betray her! "I was with the…circus!" Oh, just great. The first thing that came from her mind was utterly ridiculous, "I was Ren, the puppeteer, and they loved me! Really! However, a few days ago we had an…_incident_. It got pretty wild, people were screaming left and right! Apparently there had been some sort of break-in at a bank, they stole everything! People just naturally assumed it was us. Of course my troop members left without me, all because I slept a little late!" Asuka was amazed with herself. The words were just flying out of her mouth as she thought of them. It sounded fairly believable, hopefully, "So now they're all after me, but I'm innocent! I swear to you!" she put in, trying to stay on the strange male's good side with this tall-tale of hers. Oh how she hoped he didn't work at a bank.

He stared at her for a bit, time seemed to drag on slowly, edging along like a snail. Asuka wanted to say something, but what should she say? She had just told him a big fat lie and now he acted as if he knew it was a cover-up.

"I understand," The handsome boy told her at last, "Ren, you will need to meet Hiroki before we start to move." Asuka nodded. She hadn't realized that he was here with someone. They must have been napping when she came to this obscure little place.

"Hiroki," the man said, knocking on a door nearby after walking just a few paces, "We have a guest. Get cleaned up so you can come and meet them."

"I'm up. I'm up. I'm up Sune!"

Sune? That must be the man's name. How strange…she had never heard of someone with a name like that.

He turned to face her and opened his mouth to say something when the door burst open, revealing a blonde man with his hair tied up in a high ponytail, leaving some bangs that covered the left side of his face, "I told you Sune, I had a really nice nap! Where's the visitor? Oh, here she is!" Hiroki laughed at himself, talking quite fast. Him and Sune must have been polar opposites, kind of like Asuka and Aki, "It's very nice to meet you! I'm Hiroki!" a lopsided grin appeared on his lips, revealing perfect teeth.

"I'm…Ren," She finished confidently to him, almost forgetting her cover for a moment, "It's a pleasure to meet you as well," Asuka told him with a small bow. She couldn't refrain herself from being at least somewhat polite and respectful. Most of all, she should be grateful towards these men, they were allowing her to stay here---

"Get your stuff Hiroki. We need to move out, and Ren will be coming along with us." He told him, turning to head in a different direction. Asuka supposed he was going to get his own possessions, like he previously suggested to Hiroki.

"I thought that we would be staying here!" Sune didn't even turn to look at her.

"There is no 'we'. You are simply traveling with us for the time being, Ren. That group following you has seen where we are. It's very likely that they will be back shortly to investigate and capture you…" The red-eyed male said to her, but what she didn't hear were his last words that could barely be considered a whisper…

"_and me…"_

"Right. I'm sorry." She replied softly, obviously having missed the last two words of his sentence. Asuka didn't know what to think of these people. It was strange how easily she trusted them, but Asuka had always been that way. She gave to much credit to strangers. Sune and Hiroki, they seemed like good people. How would the maiden know though? Sune hadn't even told her his name by choice.

There was something that they were hiding, and Asuka could tell that they weren't normal civilians.

She watched him walk away down the small corridor, not looking back at her or Hiroki once.

"Alright, now that Sune is gone, why don't we go on a date?"

Asuka's face turned bright scarlet and turned to see Hiroki with his famous lopsided grin. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. She really wanted to say 'no' to the man she had just met only minutes ago. He laughed playfully, "I'm only kidding," Hiroki reassured her, "I'd better get my stuff too before Sune gets mad." With that he went back into his room, and she heard a bit of banging going on in there, a crash or two as well. She didn't even want to ask what he was doing.

The princess now had a little time to look around the main room, where she had first entered. It was a very simple place. Rug on the wooden floor, dark wood walls, it seemed like a cottage or something. Minus the fireplace and hot chocolate. There were no family photos, or any photos, hanging around the room. Then again, they _were_ guys. A dim candle lit the room, providing just enough light to see, and a small table-lamp was lit to help bring an end to the darkness. There was a small couch, maybe big enough for four people at the most, and a small chair next to it. Everything was either black or a shade of red. Wood was all over, and plants littered the table-tops. It was quite a weird little place, very different from the elegant and grand palace where Asuka lived. She thought it was a little…nice.

"Let's go." a male voice said from behind. The maiden looked over her shoulder to see the tall, dark-haired man that had allowed her to enter, "We'll be meeting an acquaintance of ours at a tavern up north of here," he informed her, handing the young woman a small bag, "Make yourself useful."

Asuka really, really wanted to protest, but it was against her assigned nature. She bit down on her lower lip, right eyebrow twitching in a small motion, and she _knew_ Sune saw it. She knew that he was aware of how much she didn't want to be their _servant_.

"You shouldn't be afraid."

"What?"

"Saying what you want to. Be polite, but don't let people push you around."

The princess didn't move, she was still shocked at what he was saying. He was trying to help her with this. Help her become more confident. Asuka smiled, showing all her teeth as she nodded enthusiastically, "Thank you!" She said cheerfully to him, and he turned to look at her. They stood like that for a moment, an awkward moment.

"Time to go!" Hiroki cried out loud, raising his arms up, a small bag slung over his shoulder. His blue eyes, or eye since one was hidden, was lit up with excitement. Asuka couldn't help, but feel excited along with him, despite all the danger around her. It must have been his aura or charisma.

Oh yeah, this was going to be fun.

**Notes: **Okay, so please comment if you have time -.-;; I just love them so much. Enjoy.

**3:**


End file.
